Only the sound of footsteps echoed through the stony halls; A familiar silence hung in the air between the two boys as they continued on their path.

  At present, they were carrying out the ‘big job’ and, needless to say, Zain’s nerves were in a tangled mess. Again, he found himself walking in complete silence with Navin, who didn’t say a single thing about the situation they were in or offered any explanation for what they were doing.

  This time, both he and Navin were pushing hovercarts, and indeed, they were both filled up to capacity. The packages were stacked in boxes this time, so he could not give an accurate estimate for how much they were carrying, but he wouldn’t be surprised if it was millions of dollars worth of contraband.

  The lead up to that day had nothing of note on the surface. All normal activities had resumed, without any changes in routine for the rest of the warehouse. The only thing that was out of the ordinary was maybe the annual fogging of the dorms, but Brayden had confirmed this with a lot of the older boys as something that happens around the same time every year. Additionally, it was restricted to just the two first floors and it would continue tomorrow for the other floors, so Zain wrote it off as unrelated.

  Navin was treating this job the same as the previous one, again not saying anything as they navigated the maze-like hallway.

  The police had said that they would use the two days to set up watching posts in the underground. In theory, they should be surrounding the room where Abel would be manipulating the maze, but how they would do that was a mystery to Zain. For now, all he could do was do his job.

  When he had mentioned his interaction with Abel to the informant, all he was told was that he would continue with his job. This was not the response he was expecting, especially since his testimony conclusively tied Abel to the illegal activities. However, in spite of that, they said nothing of note and told him that the plan wouldn’t change.

  Are they hiding something from me?

  This was something Zain couldn’t help but think of during the never-ending silence. Honestly, he thought that the information from his encounter would be more ground breaking. So, when he was given an underwhelming response, he wasn’t sure how to feel.

  It was frustrating as hell, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it now. Hopefully, the plan worked, and the investigation would peacefully come to an end.

  This train of thought caused him to take a glance at Navin. He couldn’t help but wonder…what would be his fate?

  It wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up in Juvie, but it was probably for the best. The path he was going down wasn’t good, so maybe rehabilitation would set him straight. Hell, they could even be friends if Navin chose to leave this all behind.

  As he was thinking to himself, a bang sounded in a room nearby; the floor shook somewhat as a result, making the stones of the floor shift. The suddenness of all this made both of the boys exclaim in surprise.

  Navin cast a serious look back, then looked at his phone. The screen displayed static and it appeared to be malfunctioning.

  “SHITSHITSHITSHIT!!” Navin started cussing as he abandoned the load and started running for the nearest exit. Before he could take more than ten steps however, the stones underneath their feet once again began to shift.

  Like a rippling sea, the blocks moved as if they were made of a completely different substance. The grout glowed a faint blue which pulsated as the room rearranged itself.

  Zain was stunned as he was looking at the changes happening to the room; Before he could ask Navin what was happening, Zain was shoved to the ground.

  His body rolled to the wall, making him wheeze as he tried to catch the breath that was suddenly stolen from him. Navin had tackled him without warning, and was himself lying on the floor next to him. Before he could cuss at him for knocking him down, Navin placed his hand over his mouth.

  “Shut the fuck up! Quiet!” He warned in a hushed whisper. His eyes darted around the room, as if searching for something of concern. Having found nothing, he breathed a sigh of relief.

  With more stern eyes, he turned back to Zain, his hand not having moved from his mouth. “Listen to me, Corey. You gotta leave. But you gotta be as quiet as you fucking can! Stick to the corners.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?!”

  “Dude can’t do corners very well…”

  Nothing he was saying made any sense. What the hell was going on and who Navin was talking about?!

  Before Zain could press him with more questions, a wave of nausea hit him. The world began to warble in slight distortion and he felt immense pain in his abdomen. Vertigo hit him like a truck and he pressed his forehead to the floor, trying to stop the world from spinning.

  Navin looked upward, indignant at seemingly no one. His breath hitched as he tried to quell his anger, but after closing his eyes and regaining composure, he started to give directions to Zain. “The defense mechanism is up. You gotta get out of range or you’re just gonna get sicker. You ain’t got that much mana, so crawl like your life depends on it! I’m gonna talk to this asshole, so don’t follow me! Go in the opposite direction!”

  The sudden proclamation startled Zain, but as he tried to voice resistance to the plan, another wave of nausea hit him. The strength of his outstretched hand faltered and Navin was able to run off, unabated.

  “I ain’t your fucking battery! BITCH!” Navin screamed in defiance.

  The room bent and reacted to his declaration, then like a wild beast, attacked indiscriminately at the loud boy.

  Unflinching in his convictions, Navin dodged and jumped over the assault, vaulting whilst laughing like a madman all the way to the exit.

  As soon as his presence was no longer felt by the room, silence once again resumed.

  There was no way Zain could follow Navin now; For some reason, all of the strength in his limbs had been sapped. At first he thought it had been the tumble, but he hadn’t struck the ground hard. There had to be another reason for it, but he couldn’t think of what it could be.

  All that was left for him to do was to do what he was told. It made him feel pathetic, just running away, but right now he was in no condition to follow after Navin.

  Without much of a choice, Zain got on his hands and knees then started to slowly make his way out of the maze.

  For the most part, most of the rooms stayed motionless, unable to detect his presence as he remained in the corners. If this was the only obstacle, he would be able to make it out easily, however, his mystery ailment added difficulty.

  After going through three rooms, he vomited. Luckily, he hadn’t really eaten much that day, so water was what mainly came up. Still, the nausea was getting worse.

  In every room, there were several doors, so Zain would always take whichever door that he felt less nauseated by. However, he could tell that the rooms shifted and rearranged themselves on a whim, so his escape felt endless.

  The strength he had was draining at a rapid pace, making Zain start to worry that he would collapse at this rate.

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  He entered another room, and leaned against the wall as he tried to catch his breath. Now, he was sweating profusely and cold chills ran through his spine. There was still a long way to go, but he wasn’t sure he could make it out.

  As he was staying stationary, someone burst through the room; It was someone wearing a police uniform that was partially tattered. Their eyes met and the man immediately started to run through the room, towards Zain.

  “Kid! You need to get out of here! It’s dangerous for eth-” Just as the words of caution left his mouth, the room responded with hostility. The stone bent and sharpened, tendrils manifesting in endless numbers to attack the man.

  From all directions, the man was mercilessly targeted. At first, he was able to dodge the initial few attacks, but he was no match for the countless others.

  A fateful blow to his head made him stumble, and what followed was pure brutality.

  The concussion left the officer unable to out maneuver the attacking stone pillars which spawned from the floor, and he was hit square in the stomach. Within moments, he was airborne, blood splattering as went upward from the sheer force of the hit. Several pillars intercepted him as he helplessly flew through the air, causing his body to twist and contort in ways no human should.

  The man met the floor again and, against all odds, he was still clinging to life; labored, agonal breathing was coming from the unfortunate man. Zain continued to fearfully watch as the man writhed in pain. The muscles of his jaw were slack, and his legs were twisted in several different places. The man met his frightened eyes, tears of pain and horror melded with the blood on his countenance. The fingers of his outstretched hand were broken, the bone sticking out of at least one of them. Finally, the man let out a cry of pain as he tried to beg for help, however his mouth was unable to form the words.

  The room responded to his cries as it sent out a barrage of attacks again. Zain looked away, closing his eyes tight as he heard blow after blow, until finally, he heard everything stop. He glanced towards the center of the room as the man’s body fell to the ground in a motionless heap.

  Silence filled the room again, as the room no longer responded. It took a few agonizing seconds before Zain wrenched his eyes away from the sight, forcing himself to look at the floor beneath him. His breath became uneven as he placed his hands over his mouth, trying to stifle the scream he wanted to let out.

  There was no way the man had survived, it was something he immediately understood.

  His shaking was uncontrollable as he now crawled on his stomach and elbows out of the room; shock almost made him bite his lip off, and before he knew it, he had gone through four more rooms.

  Exhaustion stopped him once again, as he struggled to pull himself forward again, feeling another wave of nausea hit him again. The pain in his stomach was stabbing at him, and no matter how much he tried to suppress it, he vomited again.

  The room distorted and blurred, his peripheral darkened as he tried to endure it again. Zain grabbed his face, trying to steady himself.

  Once he felt as if he could see normally again, he looked down, seeing blood had been mixed into his vomit. Not only that, his nose was now also bleeding.

  The more time passed, the worse his condition was getting. Even though, on a fundamental level he could understand this much, the direness did not truly hit him. Fatigue and malaise muddled his thoughts, causing confusion to come to the forefront.

  What…was I doing again? I went down…

  Where was he again? Something about corners….

  Zain inched forward, only driven by instinct. Honestly, he just wanted to sleep.

  He was so tired, and he didn’t have any more energy to go on. Sleep sounded so nice right now.

  So, after placing his cheek on the cool floor, he closed his eyes, and began to drift off to sleep.

  Zain woke up with a gasp, as he jolted upright. Then, just as quickly, he hushed himself, covering his mouth as he prepared for an onslaught of pillars coming his way. Using his arms to shield himself, he tensed…only for nothing to follow.

  Actually, now that he took in the surroundings, there was no longer any cold flooring or moving floors. The cold hard floor was now replaced by a hard bed. The harsh lights of an ambulance took the place of the blinking neon of the underground.

  Nearby, a familiar face looked at him as he regained his bearings.

  “Hey, you. You’re finally awake.” Brayden spoke, as if he too had not been asleep a moment ago.

  Silence remained in the air, as Zain was unable to respond right away.

  “Uhh…sorry. Thought I’d lighten the mood.” Brayden said, hanging his head. Worry and regret weighed heavily on him, as his eyes were cast downward. Observing him more closely, he was still wearing his sleepwear, so it was obvious that he didn’t even think to change before going to Zain’s bedside.

  Zain let out a small breath, and gave a small, reassuring smile. “No, it’s alright…I appreciate the thought. I’m just a little tired right now.” The lowering of his voice was not of annoyance or anything, but rather his extreme fatigue. There was an IV hooked up to his arm now, so hopefully whatever he was deficient in would slowly restore itself.

  Brayden nodded in understanding, then offered to explain the events after Zain had passed out and how he was rescued.

  After Zain had passed out, a police officer had stumbled upon his unconscious body and was able to carry him out of the maze. There were ambulances and police waiting on the surface, so they were able to treat him before his condition worsened.

  However, the most disturbing revelation was that Zain was not the only one experiencing this strange condition. All of the boys, who had been staying in the extra building while their floor was being fogged, had also experienced these symptoms. What was more, they were unable to leave their rooms or call for help due to unforeseen circumstances.

  The only reason they were able to reach out and ask for help was due to the police who had been stationed nearby. They noticed the distressed boys, begging for help in the locked rooms, and they had to break them out of the building, which had been reinforced to prevent entry.

  Many of the other boys had collapsed or lost consciousness, the same as Zain, and the nearby hospital was in a state of emergency due to the sudden influx of victims.

  “They didn’t share why you guys collapsed…but I think the police know the reason. I’m pretty sure it has to do with the maze thing, but I don’t know how. Or maybe it was a distraction, to drive police attention away….UGHH! I don’t know! This is all so confusing!” Brayden ruffled his hair in frustration, unable to make sense of everything that had happened. He stopped, then hung his head, letting out a deep sigh. “I’m just glad you made it out alive…You had severe quinemia, I don’t think you realize how close you were to-”

  A knock on the door interrupted Brayden as the ambulance door swung open. Detective Duffy opened the door, a background of strobing blue and purple neon lights behind her as she looked at them. She leaned on the door, then turned her face towards Brayden.

  “I need to speak to the kid alone for a bit. Can you go over to where Officer Dickens is so you can give your testimony?” Her harsh tone made it seem more like a command rather than a suggestion. Brayden’s pallor worsened, and he sheepishly agreed, casting a few worried glances as he excused himself.

  As soon as he left, she heaved herself into the van, closing the door so no one outside could hear their discussion. Irritation etched itself into the furrows of her brow, and she tapped impatiently on her arm. Though she didn’t have a cigarette in her mouth, the unmistakable smoky scent clung to her close, indicating that she had been using them in excess during recent days.

  The ordeal he had gone through had left him emotionally wrung, so Zain felt no fear or hesitance as he spoke first. “Did you catch him?”

  The woman said nothing for a moment, but the veins on her forehead gave Zain his answer before she could speak it herself. “No. He evaded arrest.”

  “Oh…I see…” Right then, he didn’t have the energy to vent his frustration and absolute anger, but the aggravation made his head dully hurt.

  “We have enough evidence from your contributions for his indictment and his warrant for arrest but…” She placed a hand on her face as she grabbed her hair with rage. The eyes, which usually remained nearly closed, obscured by her eyelashes whenever she interacted with anyone, were now wide open; Her deep, dark green irises reflected deep hatred and vexation as her barely quelled wrath compressed her pupils to a fine slit, an ominous red highlighting the hellish resentment she held within.

  Though she was not directing her gaze at him, Zain felt his body tense instinctively and freeze from fear. The muscles in his body halted in place, as if they were being constrained by ice unseen to the eye. Just as it felt as if the muscles controlling his lungs would freeze, she covered her eyes, letting out a deep, frustrated sigh.

  A few minutes passed before she could compose herself enough to speak again. “You did well, kid. You did your job, so the fault is entirely on us. Abel won’t be able to show himself for sometime, but in the meantime…well, I guess you’ll be with Cuddy so there shouldn’t be any worry for him recognizing you. “

  “Wait…what is gonna happen to the boys at the warehouse? There are also kids that Abel forced to work for him…” Redemption for Navin was possible; Zain wanted him to turn his life around. There was also one more thing. “Also…There was an officer who tried to help me…but he…”

  The usually stoic woman cast her eyes down, her mouth stretching into a thin line as sadness and regret lowered her brow. “The boys will be transferred back to foster homes if they are underage. If not, then some will be allowed to enter the college if they wish…but…the ones who were involved, the court will have to decide. Since they are young, serious charges will likely not be pursued, but it’s not for me to decide.” She looked out the small window of the ambulance as she continued in a quieter, husher tone. “And as for the officer…There were a handful of people lost on my side, along with the officer you spoke of. That man was known for putting the wellbeing of others above his own…he will be missed.”

  She spoke no longer of the matter, continuing to gaze out the window at the other officers hurriedly investigating the area. Silence continued between the two of them, the weight of everything adding to the poignant feeling of disappointment and failure.